CHAPTER 278: CHAPTER 277: WORLD IN THE DREAM

Regardless of their actual strength, Hao Tian made quite the grandiose display, bringing along eighty percent of the Heavenly Court’s forces.

The Star Lords close to Nezha remained untouched, as did the forces of the Turquoise Pool.

Hao Tian personally led the campaign, but before leaving, he did not appoint anyone to oversee governmental affairs, clearly unwilling to relinquish power. Thus, Nezha continued to stay at the Ziwei Star to build the Emperor Palace, while the Queen Mother continued to spectate from the Turquoise Pool.

Yang Jian was sent to handle logistics, while the task of clearing the Star Sea was handed over to Old Bear, who had recently ascended to Heaven. Having followed Chiyou for many years and mastering techniques of the Witch Clan, he was considered an upgraded version of Yang Jian.

Currently, nearly one-fifth of the Star Sea’s Three Constellations had been brought under Nezha’s rule.

Once the Heavenly Market Constellation fends off more threats, Nezha planned to establish a marketplace there—partly to cultivate and trade along the Great Dao, partly to support the growth of his forces.

Only by leading did one truly understand the high cost of basic resources. The vast cosmos had largely been reduced to ruins due to the Witch Demon War, leaving resources exceedingly scarce, so it fell upon Nezha to find solutions as the leader.

Moreover, his "One Qi to Three Pure Ones" divine skill demanded an astronomical amount of resources as Nezha’s cultivation continued to improve.

...

With the Immortals of the Heavenly Court away, the once-noisy Heaven Palace finally quieted down.

Hao Tian, seated in a treasure chariot pulled by eight dragons, followed by hundreds of thousands of Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, was surrounded by an abundance of talented subordinates.

Southern Six Department Star Lords: Tian Fu, Tian Liang, Tian Ji, Tian Xiang, Tian Tong, and Seven Killings.

These six were originally under the Emperor of Nanji Changsheng, but with that emperor missing, they now directly obeyed Hao Tian’s commands.

The "Seven Stars," which referred to the Beidou Seven Stars, were directly under Nezha as the Lord Ziwei. Hao Tian, unwilling to let Nezha earn any achievements, left Nezha’s forces untouched this time around.

Eight Extremes Marshals: Tian Xin, Tian Rui, Tian Fu, Tian Chong, Tian Ying, Tian Ren, Tianpeng, and Tian Zhu.

Note that this Tianpeng was not the same as the Marshal of the Heavenly Canopy, the leader of Nezha’s Beiji Four Saints, and held no significant authority.

The Nine Luminaries were all Nezha’s confidants, and none were present here.

The Twenty-eight Star Constellations were nominally under the Eight Extremes Marshals, but since they trained under the Jie Sect, they were currently doing grunt work for Nezha.

The Ten Departments of the Heavenly Court were: Thunder Department, Fire Department, Plague Department, Water Department, Ministry of War, Xuan Altar, Dou Department, Earth Department, Constitution Platform, and Earth Division.

For this campaign, Hao Tian primarily deployed the Thunder, Fire, Water, Ministry of War, and Plague Departments.

The Dou Department, led by the Deity of the Sun under the Primordial Monarch of Dipper and Mother, had shifted allegiance under Nezha, following Gui Ling’s severe injury last round.

The Earth Division, led by the Deity of the Moon under the control of the annual god Tai Sui, was filled with subordinates under Nezha like the Twelve Yuan Chen and the Sixty Tai Sui. Yang Ren, one of these Tai Sui, played a minimal role, so Hao Tian left this department untouched as well.

The Xuan Altar, essentially the Financial Department, was led by Randeng, the True Monarch of Xuan Altar. Although not a combat entity, it oversaw logistical support.

The Constitution Platform, Nezha’s base as Emperor Ziwei, focused on oversight, impeachment, and advisory functions—not combat activities.

Standing at the vanguard of the campaign was one of the Three Altars Sea Meeting Gods, Lei Zhenzi.

The Lord also wasn’t just sitting by idly—he provided a substantial amount of elixirs for logistical support.

Hao Tian was quite satisfied with the Heavenly Court’s current capabilities, though he wished Nezha as Emperor Ziwei were out of the picture altogether!

...

At the front lines, Guanyin, Lei Zhenzi, Yan Zhi, and the Dream-eating Rhinoceros led the way. The Dream-eating Rhinoceros opened a dream portal, with Yan Zhi guiding the path forward as the Heavenly Court’s grand army marched ambitiously into the dream world.

While the world of the Primordial Land remained square and round, the dream world existed as a collection of countless bubbles, each representing an individual’s dream.

Some dreams were sweet; others, nightmares.

To find the Demon World amidst these billions of bubbles was undoubtedly a monumental challenge.

Yan Zhi closed her eyes to sense her surroundings and appeared to discover something, pointing toward a multicolored bubble while remaining motionless herself.

Since his Divine Enthronement, Lei Zhenzi had walked the Incense Fire Divine Dao, his cultivation far exceeding his previous level. However, having lost the protection of his master, he had faced the harsh realities of society and grown much in the process.

At this moment, gritting his teeth, Lei Zhenzi led a group of Heavenly Soldiers into the bubble, only to find themselves immediately crushed under a towering mountain.

Lei Zhenzi reacted quickly. Realizing there was no escape, he immediately threw the Qiankun Ring upward in an attempt to smash the giant mountain. However, the Qiankun Ring, known for splitting mountains, struck what seemed like a phantom and had no effect whatsoever.

With a thunderous crash, they were pinned to the ground. The good news was that they were unharmed, thanks to a man not far away, who lay on the ground holding up the mountain with both hands.

Lei Zhenzi tried with all his might to lift the mountain off himself, but it wouldn’t budge. Bewildered, he couldn’t help but wonder—who was this powerful figure?

"Senior? Senior?"

The man looked at the oddly dressed Lei Zhenzi from a distance, visibly baffled.

"I am but a humble scholar, merely twenty years old. How could I possibly deserve to be called ’senior’?"

Lei Zhenzi didn’t argue with the scholar and instead asked, "Then how should I address you?"

The man, still holding up the mountain, seemed a bit pleased with Lei Zhenzi’s respect.

From referring to himself as "humble scholar," he adjusted to calling himself "teacher."

"I’ve studied diligently for over ten years. Just address me as teacher."

"Teacher, where are we?"

"I don’t know."

"What are you doing here?"

"I think I was sleeping earlier."

After asking two questions, Lei Zhenzi found himself exasperated by the scholar’s unhelpful answers.

"Then how can we leave this place?"

The scholar finally grew impatient with Lei Zhenzi’s relentless questioning.

"Ah! If I knew that, I would’ve left a long time ago! This mountain is pressing down so hard I can barely breathe. Boy, are you so weak that you can’t even lift it? No wonder you’re dressed so androgynously."

Lei Zhenzi’s anger flared. Hao Tian bullying him was one thing—but even this nobody dared to mock him?

After observing the "teacher" for so long, Lei Zhenzi figured out that this man, aside from being able to hold up the mountain, was merely a mortal. Perhaps this mortal was the key to breaking this illusion.

With this thought, the Huntian Silk around Lei Zhenzi suddenly flew out, wrapping around the scholar. Lei Zhenzi yanked him closer and, without a word, began pummeling him.

"That’s for saying you don’t know!"

"That’s for acting all high and mighty!"

"That’s for stalling like an idiot!"

Amidst the scholar’s wails, the dream world shattered like a bubble being popped. Lei Zhenzi remained in his punching posture.

In a room in the Mortal Realm, a man identical to the scholar woke up on a bed. Beside him lay a muscular woman with harsh features, her arm draped firmly across his chest.

"Ah!"

The man jolted awake.

The woman beside him, startled, kicked him off the bed with a thud.

"What are you screaming for?"

The man sheepishly got up and muttered, "I, uh, dreamed of a boy wearing a red bellyband and holding a golden ring beating me up in my dreams..."

After hearing this, the woman’s eyes widened. "Oh? Someone dared to lay a hand on Zhang Butcher’s man? Tomorrow, I’ll teach him a lesson myself!"

The man quickly flattered her, "Wife, you’re the best!"

Completely awake by now, ’Zhang Butcher’ turned her gaze, her eyes gleaming. "Hehe, so, how are you going to thank me?"

Seeing ’Zhang Butcher’s’ fierce grin, the man felt his stomach churn but forced a smile as he inched back to the bed.

Brothers, what’s the meaning of the "steel wool candy’s flower language" again?

Though steel wool didn’t exist, the man already grasped the essence of its meaning.

I must pass the imperial exam!